Nikon D40 (tested it out, and lens/zoom on it seemed weak, as in not able to zoom that far)
Powershot S3 IS
Canon Powershot S5 IS (waiting for it to come out)
So im waiting for the S5 IS to come out and then buying that, OR i will wait to gather up enough money to buy the D40, however the zoom on the D40 seems like it doesnt go that far..?
Tryin to take some amazing pictures (im a beginner btw, no experience whatsoever)
pictures like these
http://flickr.com/cameras/canon/powersho...
http://flickr.com/cameras/nikon/d40/
http://flickr.com/cameras/nikon/d40/ I dont know what to get anymore The zoom on the Nikon D40 doesn't go that far? Weak?
When you say you tested it out, do you mean you went to a camera store and looked through the camera with the lens they had on it?
The D40 will take any lens from about 10.5mm (fish-eye) to over 1000mm (extreme long lens).
What exactly are you trying to shoot? The D40 using a 1000mm mirror lens will give you the equivalent of a 1500mm lens. You are talking about nearly a telescope in magnification. Shooting the moon would over fill the sensor.
The Nikon is a digital body that will take interchangeable lenses.
The Canon is a point and shoot camera with a very small sensor when compared to a DSLR camera.
The first link compares the two cameras the second shows the relative size of the two sensors in the cameras Both cameras are very good as far I can tell. Keep in mind that most of the photos that you have links to have been doctored in some way.
If I were in your boat, I would go for the D40. Even though the 'kit' lens that comes with the D40 has very little zoom, Nikon has a wide variety of lenses that you can purchase from wide -angle to zoom. You are really asking two questions. One is about the lens that is packaged with the D40 or D40x and the other is about content.
The lens that is part of the D40 kit is a 18-55mm lens. Since you have a conversion factor of around 1.5 because of the size of the sensor, the long length of the lens is equivalent to about and 85mm on a film camera. That is considered to be a portrait lens. It is a very short telephoto. If you want "reach" tnem you'll need something much longer then that. But, the benefit of shooting with a dslr is that you can change lenses. And, Nikon makes a lot of lenses.
About content. Good pictures come from the mind, the heart and the soul with your eyes giving vision to what you see. The camera has very little to do with that. A good photographer can shott with anything and make a good picture.
Ray | 